Hinge joint for jewelry



Nov. 24, A1942. c. A. GOODWIN HINGE JOINT EOE JEWELRY Filed June 27, Y1941 Patenfed Nov. 24, 1942 HINGE .roma- Fon JEWELRY Charles A. Goodwin, East Providence, R. I., as-

signor to B. A. Ballon & Co.,`Inc., a corporation of Rhode Island Application June 27, 1941, Serial N0. 400,016

Claims.

'Ihis invention relates to a hinge joint for jewelry use and may be used for an ear ornament, a clasp, a pin stem lock, or for other such uses.

The usual form of ear ornament and dress clips comprises two jaws which are hingedly related and urged together by spring pressure. The use of`a spring in such article as I am familiar with causes undesirable pressure or requires some complicated construction or some other undesirable results, which I obviate by the present construction. In the use of an ear ornament attachment, a continual urge of the two jaws together by spring pressure causes such pressure on the lobe of the ear as to be uncomfortable after some length of time.

One of the objects of Vthis invention is to provide a construction having two jaws which will stay in the position to which they are moved and will exert no pinching pressure on the part which they engage by reason of the jaws being devoid of all pressure at all times and in all positions.

Another object of the invention is to provide a construction which will be simple but which will maintain itself in the adjusted position to which it is set.

Another object of the invention is to provide a frictional contact or engagement between the parts which are to maintain the jaws in set position. v f i: Him

' Another object of the invention is to provide for greater frictional pressure for holding these parts in position when the parts are closed than when the parts are open, it being desirable to relieve this pressure when the parts are open.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 illustrates an ear ornament on a w0mans ear which is one use to which the invention is adaptable;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view, partly in section and showing an ear ornament mounted on the device? Fig. 3 is an edge view illustrating the hingedly related members with no ornament mounted thereon;

Fig. 4 is a similar view illustrating these hingedly related members as clamping some object between them and showing inv dotted lines one of the jaws moved to open position;

Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view through the shanks of the members and showing the members in 55 separated position that the. relative inclinations l of theirgsurfaces may be observed;

Fig. '1 is an e1evationa1showing the relativelyr movable -members as swung to full open position,

5 also showing one of these members broken away to illustrate roughening of the interior surface; Fig. 8 is a sectional view on line 8 8 of Fig. 7; Figs. 9 and 10 are plan views of the blanks of the members before being folded into working 10 position;

In proceeding with. this invention, I provide spaced arms on two members, usually U-shaped and oppositely disposed for one to overlap the other and be hingedly related about an axis passing through these overlapping portions. The

inner arms usually are flared when unconilned and held under inherent tendency to expand when between the outer positioned arms, the relationship being such thatwhen the members are swung on their hinge to open position, the

largest portion or flare of the arms moves from the confined relation and is free to expand.

Thus, the strongest frictional pressure between the parts is exerted at the time of the arms being in closed relation.

With reference to the drawings, I0 designates one member and I I another member, which members are hingedly related together. The member I0 consists of a shank or stem portion I2 having an article-engaging end I3 shaped to adapt itself to the purpose for which the device is to be used. In the case of an ear ornament, the portion I3 is convexed as at I4 on its engaging surface, somewhat conforming to the surface of a sphere. At the other end of the shank,

there are a pair of arms I5 bent from the center portion It to Iprovide a generally U-shaped portion which will have the inner surfaces I1 substantially parallel. These inner surfaces may be recessed as at I8 for a hinge mounting as will be i hereinafter pointed out.

The memberv I-I also consists of a shank I9 having an article-engaging end portion 20 convexed as at 2| and in all respects substantially the same as the shank I2 and end portion I3 of the member I0. Arms 22 are folded from the shank' I9 to form a generally U-shaped portion such as shown in Figs. 3, 5, 6, and 8. 'I'his U- shaped portion has its outer surfaces 23 outwardly flaring so that the free ends 24 of these arms 22 are at a greater distance apart than at .the other when the outer surface at the juncture of the fold. Protuberances 25 are formed to extendoutwardly from the surfaces 23 and will enter recesses I8 to provide for pivotal relation of the arms 22 with reference to the arms I5.

At the pivot or hinge axis of the arms the distance between the outer surface of the arms is.

substantially the same as the distance between the inner surface of the arms I5, but at the ends 2l the distance of the outer surface of these arms 22 is considerably greater than the distance between the inner parallel surfaces of the arms I5. As seen in Figs. 5 and 6, the U-shaped portions comprising the arms I5 and 22 are oppositely disposed and positioned for one to overlap the hinged relation is provided. When the members I and II, as shown in Fig. 7, are swung into right angular relationship, the arms 22 (see Fig. 8) are not confined between the arms I at their ends 24 and therefore fiare outwardly beyond them due to the inherent resilience of the stock to cause the arms to return to their unconned position to which they were set.

When the members I0 and II arey swung on their hinge from the position shown in Fig.. 7 to the position shown in full line in Figs. 2, 3, or 4, the. arms 22 are moved from the position such as shown in Fig. 8 by a wedge action to the position shown in Fig. 5whereby the ends 24 are confined between the parallel arms I5; and due to the inherent resilience of the stock these arms 22 tend to spread apart throughout substantially the entire length of the surface 'of the parallel arms I5 but greatest at their ends 24 where there is the maximum compression of the arms. This compression of the ends is best supported by the proximity of the arms I5 to the fold 25 from the juncture or bridge portion I6. 'As this fold occurs, also this point 26 is hardened somewhat by the folding, and an adequate support is provided for this compression of the arms 22 when the members are swung to this closed position. The friction developed is sufficient to hold the members I0 and II in the adjusted'position to which they are moved; and when ina position such as shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5, in which the arms I5 and 22 have their maximum surfaces contacting and their maximum compression, the maximum holding of these members in this, position is provided. Thus, there is a progressively increasing friction developed between the arms when moved from the relative open position shown in Fig. 8 to the relative closed position shown in Fig. 5.

When this device is used for an ear ornament, it is merely necessary to move these members to the closed position on the lobe of the ear, designated in Fig. 4 as 21, and the pressure developed will be such as to hold these parts in this position. There is no pressure tending to -move the parts further into engagement, and the natural expansion of the compressed portion of the ear or the portion about that contacted will hold the ear ornament in position.

In some cases, it may be desirable to increase the friction of the engaged surfaces-in which case I may knurl the surfaces of the arms I5 adjacent the juncture with the bridge portion -IS as at 28, (see Figs. '7 and 9), and I may knurl the outer surface of the arms 22 as at 29 (see Figs. l and 10)'. These knurled surfacesrwill then contact to provide the friction developed between the parts.

In some cases instead of providing an end part such as I3 or 20 on the shanks II and I2, I may provide some different shaping for use to engage a piece of fabric so that the device may be used as a dress clip. Some roughening or irregular surface for this end part may then be desirable.

In another use of this device, such as shown in Fig. `11, the portion I8 may be soldered to an ornament or bar 20 with the arms I5 extending vupwardly therefrom to pivotally hold between them the arms 22 of the member II which may have its shank short as at ll for action as a ca tch and lock for a pin stem I2-jointed as at 82. If this pin stem contacts at a point distant from its joint greater than the distance of the axis of the pivot 3l formed by the portions I8 and 2l from the joint, then any opening pressure of this pin stern will tend to close rather than open the member LI of my device and thus will effectively actas a lock for holding the pin stem in'position.

I claim:

1. A jewelry article comprising two relatively movable members, each comprising a shank with U-shaped portions providing spaced arms. said portions being oppositely disposed and positioned to overlap one over the other and with the arms thereof each substantially equal in width, means to hingedly -relate said arms, with axes of said hinge means extending substantially midway through said arms relative to the width thereof, the inner surface of the outer positioned arms being generally parallel and the outer surface of the inner positioned arms being flaring when uriconfined but held ilexed in parallel position by the `outer arms when the members are in closed relation to 'provide a frictlonal holding of the members in adjusted position, and an ornament secured to one of said members.

2. A hinge joint for jewelry comprising two relatively movablemembers, each comprising a shank with U-shaped portions providing spaced arms, said portions being oppositely disposed and positioned to overlap one over the other and with the arms thereof each substantially equal in width, means to hingedly relate said arms, with the axes of said hinge means extending substantially midway through said arms relative to the width thereof, the inner surfaceof the outer positioned arms being generally parallel and the outer surface of the inner positioned arms being haring whenfunconnned but held flexed in a parallel position by the outer arms when the members are in closed relation to Provide a frictional holding of the members in adjusted position, said engaging surfaces being roughened to increase the fr ictional engagement.

3. A jewelry article comprising two relatively movable members each substantially U-shaped providing spaced arms, and with the arms of one member equal in width to the arms of the other member, said members being oppositely disposed and with the arms of one member extending 'between the arms of the other member in overlapping relation, means for hinging said members for movement of one relative to the other and with .the axes of said\hinging means extending through said arms substantially midway thereof relative to the width thereof, the inner surface of the outer positioned arms being generally parallel and the outer surface of the inner positioned arms being flaring when unconflned but held flexed in a parallel'position by the outer positioned arms when the members are in closed relation vto provide africtional holding of the members in adjusted position, and an ornament secured to onefof said members.

.face of the inner positioned arms being flaring when uncontlned but held iiexed'in a parallel position by the outer positioned arms when the members are in closed relation to provide a frictional holding of the umembers in adjusted lposition, and an ornament secured to one of said members.

at one end with an enlargement and-at the other end with U-shaped portions providing spaced arms, said portions being oppositely disposd'and positioned to overlap one within the other, means extending through said arms to hingedly relate the same for movement of said enlargement toward and away from each other,`and'with the inner surface of the outer positioned arms being generally parallel and the outer surface of the 5. An ear ringcomprising two relatively mov- Aable members, each comprising a shankvprovided inner positioned arms being Haring when unconfined bui-...held vexed in a parallel position by the outer positioned arms when the members are in closed relation to provide a frictional holding of the-members in adjusted position, said enlargements providing means for engaging the ear of the wearer, one of said members carrying an y ornamentation. f

CHARLES A. GOODWIN. 

